Display device for successively exhibiting different displays



DISPLAYS R. E. PAIGE DISPLAY DEVICE FOR SUCCESSIVELY EXHIBITINGDIFFERENT Filed March 26, 1964- 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. HARD E P/z/ei4/, H770? I [y R. E. PAIGE priE 25, 1%?

DISPLAY DEVICE FOR SUCCESSIVELY EXHIBITING DIFFERENT DISPLAYS 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 26, 1964 all r INVENTOR. fl w/FD E. AIGEUnited States Patent 3,315,390 DISPLAY DEVICE FOR SUCCESSIVELYEXHIBITENG DIFFERENT DISPLAYS Richard E. Paige, New York, N.Y., assignorto Paper Products Development Corporation, New York, N.Y.,

a corporation of New Jersey Filed Mar. 26, 1964, Ser. No. 354,999 8Claims. (Cl. 4081) This invention relates generally to display devices,and has particular reference to an apparatus primarily intended foradvertising purposes and adapted to exhibit different display surfacesin a continuous repetitive sequence.

It is a general object of the invention to provide a display device thatcan be inexpensively manufactured in commercial quantities, and operatedat low cost by means of a small inexpensive motor deriving its powerfrom a simple array of dry cells or from any conventionaly availableelectric current source.

A more particular object of the invention is to provide a device of thecharacter described Whose structure consists essentially of inexpensivesheet material such as cardboard, and which will operate reliably forextended periods of time.

Another object is to provide a device of the foregoing character inwhich display panels are used in such a way that they can be readilychanged or replaced.

The display device to which the invention relates consists essentiallyof a shallow rectangular container mounted for continuous slow rotationabout a central horizontal axis whereby the opposite ends of the con-.

tainer are alternately raised to a position above the axis of rotation,there being an odd number (2x+1) of display panels within the containeradapted to slide successively and by gravity from one end region of thecontainer to the other as the container rotates. The two main walls ofthe container are provided with display openings in symmetrical relationto the axis of rotation, and the functioning of the device is such thatsuccessive exhibition through these openings of all surfaces (4x+2) ofthe display panels is achieved. The display effect isattention-arresting, since the mode of operation is not readily apparentto a viewer.

The continued operation of such an apparatus in reliable trouble-freefashion depends upon a maintenance of precise container dimensions andconfiguration, smoothly balanced rotational movements, and an unimpededsliding relationship among the display panels. This presents an unusualproblem when the container and the panels are to be fabricated ofcardboard or similar sheet stock, since such a material is not alwaysdimensionally stable, not absolutely rigid, and is susceptible towarping and distortion. The unusual features of the invention relate toa solution to this special problem, and hence to the provision of adisplay device which has all the desirable operational characteristicsdescribed, and which is staunch and reliable in use despite the factthat it is constructed essentially of light-weight non-metallic sheetmaterial which would ordinarily be unsuitable to meet the demands of anapparatus involving relatively movable elements requiring precisedimensions and contours.

One of the features of the invention resides in furnishing the containerin the form of a shallow cardboard box composed of conventional opposedsections each of which has a relatively large main wall and relativelynarrow peripheral walls, the sections being telescopically interfittedso that the peripheral walls lie in overlapping relation and definetwo-ply side and end walls on the box. Such a box can be made at lowcost, and in commercial quantities, on conventional automatic box-makingmachines.

Another feature lies in securing the box, at its central region, to arigid metal rod which extends horizontally across the interior of thebox with its ends projecting out through the opposed side walls. A meansis provided for securing the rod to at least one of the side walls andfor supporting the rod ends for rotation of the rod on its axis, so thatby slowly rotating the rod the box can be caused to undergo acorresponding balanced rotation with a minimum of strain and distortion.

A further feature of the invention resides in furnishing the displaypanels in the form of simple paperboard elements, bearing lithography orother embellishment on each surface, and in providing each panel withspecial enlarged stitfeners along its edges. The stiffening elementshave smoothly rounded contours and are preferably elements of C-shapedcross-section, each element being slidably applicable to a panel edge toenclose the edge within the confines of the C-shaped element.

()ne way of attaining these general objectives, and such other objectsand advantages as may be pointed out hereinafter, is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a display device embodying the featuresof the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the display panels byitself;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional the line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view substantially along the line 44 of FIG.1;

view substantially along FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view along the line5-5.

of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the lower end of the box asshown in FIG. 3.

In the display device chosen for illustration, the box containing thedisplay panels is indicated generally at 10, and the support withinwhich it is mounted for rotation is designated 11. One of the panels isshown by itself in FIG. 2 and is designated by the reference numeral 12.

As best indicated in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, the box 10 comprises a pair ofopposed sections 13 and 14. The section 13 has a main rectangular wall15 and a relatively narrow upstanding peripheral wall 16. Similarly, thesection 14 has a main rectangular wall 17 and a relatively narrowupstanding peripheral wall 18. The sections are of such dimensions thatthe peripheral walls 16 and 18 can be brought into snug overlappingrelation as the sections 13 and 14 are interfitted in a telescopicmanner to define the box.

A box of this character can be readily manufactured, at relatively lowcost, and in commercial quantities, on conventional box-makingmachinery. It will be noted that the overlapping peripheral walls 16 and18 define two-ply end and side walls on the box.

The two sections of the box are not permanently interengaged. They fitsnugly, one within the other, but it is contemplated that they may beseparated to allow access to the interior of the box, for replacement ofdisplay panels or other purposes, whenever it is removed from itssupporting structure 11.

Each of the end walls of the box is provided, on the interior, with acushioning layer of rubber or its equivalent, designated 19 in FIGS. 3and 6.

Extending transversely across the box, at its center, is a horizontalmetal rod 21. Its ends extend outward through the opposed side walls ofthe box. (the one shown at the right in FIGS. to be inserted into anappropriate eyelet or equivalent hearing 22 within which it isjournaled. The opposite end of the rod is insertable into a metallicsleeve 23 provided with a set-screw 24 adapted to engage the rod end ina One of these ends 4 and 5) is adaptedreleasable manner. The sleeve 23is provided with an attachment part 25 rigidly secured to the adjacentside wall of the box. This securement may be accomplished in anysuitable manner, and one satisfactory way is to rivet it to the outerply of the side wall. This is important, because there should be norivet head or other projecting piece on the interior of the box.

By means of the sleeve 23, the attachment part 25, and the set-screw 24,the rod 21 is securely joined to the box in such a way that slowrotation of the rod 21 will impart a corresponding rotation to the boxas a whole. This can be achieved by providing the sleeve 23 with anextension provided with another set-screw 26, this extension beingadapted to receive and engage a driving shaft 27 In the illustratedembodiment, this shaft projects toward the rod 21, in alignmenttherewith, from the opposite upright of the supporting structure 11. Theshaft 27 is part of a small electric motor 28, such motors being wellknown in the art and being driven by a conventional l10-volt current.The electrical connector for the motor 28 is indicated at 29, and mayextend out of the supporting structure 11 through an opening 30 providedfor this purpose. The motor 28 is secured to the interior of thesupporting structure in any suitable manner.

As best indicated in FIG. 3, the main box wall 15 is provided with adisplay opening 31, and the box wall 17 is provided with a similardisplay opening 32. These openings are preferably rectangular and ofsubstantial size, and they are symmetrically arranged with respect tothe axis of the supporting rod 21. That is to say, the display opening31 is adjacent to one end of the box structure, while the displayopening 32 is adjacent to the opposite end. When the box is rotated asindicated by the arrows 33 in FIGS. 1 and 3, each of the displayopenings 31 and 32 presents itself in the upper part of the displayapparatus when it is viewed from the side depicted in FIG. 1. This maybe considered the front of the display device.

Accommodated within the box 10 there is an odd number (2x+1) ofrectangular display panels. Preferably they are five in number, asindicated in the drawings. Each panel consists of a substantiallyrectangular paperboard or cardboard sheet 37 hearing lithography orprinting or other embellishment on each of its faces. For stiffeningpurposes, among others, each edge of the element 37 is engaged by astiffening element that is slidably applicable to it. As best shown inFIG. 2, the stiffening elements 35 along the upper and lower edgesextend for the full length of these edges, While the stiffening elements36 engaging the side edges extend between the elements 35.

Each reinforcing element is smoothly rounded and somewhat enlarged withrespect to the thickness of the sheet 37. Essentially, eachreinforcement is an element of rigid plastic or the like, having asubstantially C-shaped cross-section. It is of such dimensions,preferably slightly springy, that it frictionally grips the edge towhich it is applied, and completely encircles the edge.

The box 10 has a depth, between the main walls 14 and 15, substantiallyequal to (x+1) of the display panels. This means that where the displaypanels are five in number, the depth of the box is such that it willaccommodate, at most, three of the panels in superposed relation. Thisis best indicated at the lower end of FIG. 3.

The panels 12 are of such dimensions that they occupy end regions of thebox, on one or the other side of the central rod 21. The dimensions ofthe panels are related to the display openings 31 and 32 so that theembellishment on the surface of each panel will show through the displayopening with which it comes into registry from time to time as the boxrotates.

The operation of the device can best be described by assuming, to start,that the display panels are in the relationships shown in FIG. 3, therebeing three of the panels at the lower end of the box, two at the top.As viewed in FIG. 3, the display panel at the top which is at the rightshows through the display opening 32. It is supported in this positionby the circumstance that its Cit lower. reinforced edge rests upon andis supported by the upper reinforced edge of the display panel directlybeneath it. The other display panel at the top of the box is retained inits elevated disposition because its lower edge rests against the rod21. (If there are more than five display panels, those panels which donot encounter the center rod at any instant of time will rest upon thepanel directly beneath.)

As the box rotates in a counter-clockwise direction from the positionshown in full-lines in FIG. 3, the panels designated A and B ultimatelyreach and pass through the position shown in dot-and-dash lines in FIG.3. The panel A is now in alignment with the display opening 31 as thisopening gradually comes into the field of view of the person standing infront of the device. The panel B remains directly behind the panel A andis shown slightly higher because its lower end (not shown) is restingagainst the rod 21. The panel C, however, has started to slide to theopposite end of the box, i.e., the end which is now the lower end, asindicated by the arrow 34. When the box reaches the vertical position,there will be (as shown in full lines) two display panels at the top andthree at the bottom. Those at the bottom will now be (from left to rightas viewed in FIG. 3) panels C, D, and E.

During the next succeeding 180 rotation of the box, a face of the panelC will become visible to the viewer through the display opening 32. Asthe box continue to rotate, successive panels will become visiblethrough one or the other display opening, and the functioning of theapparatus is such that each embellished surface of each panel becomesvisible in succession. Thus a total of (4x+2) display surfaces isexhibited, one after the other, the operation then repeating itself.

The features of the invention that make it possible to construct theapparatus of inexpensive cardboard or the like and yet achieve reliablefunctioning over long periods of time include the central rigid rod 21which assures a balanced, smooth, and undistorted action, the double-plynature of the peripheral walls of the box affording added strength inthese regions, and the rigidifying stiffeners 35 and 36 on each displaypanel. These stiffeners not only maintain each panel in a true plane,thus overcoming any tendency to warp or distort, but they alsofacilitate the sliding movements hereinbefore described and protect eachembellished face of each panel from rubbing contact with any of theother display faces.

The cushioning elements 19 at the opposite ends of the box contribute tosilent operation, and minimize any 3 shock that might impair smoothreliable functioning of the device.

It will be understood that the supporting structure 11 may be of anysuitable kind. That chosen for illustration is composed of sheetmaterial, such as cardboard, cut, scored, and assembled to define asubstantially U-shaped supporting structure of hollow character. This isdesirable from a standpoint of economy, but the details of thisstructure do not form any part of the present invention.

Whenever it is desired to change or replace the display panels withinthe box, the set-screws 24 and 26 are loosened, whereby the sleeve 23may be slipped off the drive shaft 27. This makes it possible towithdraw the opposite end of the rod 21 from the journal 22 and toWithdraw the rod from the box 10. The box 10 can then be opened. Areassembly of the parts is accomplished by a reversal of these steps.

It will thus be seen that a display device has been provided which has aunique and attention-arresting mode of operation, which is composed ofrelatively inexpensive stock and can therefore be manufactured in largequantities at low cost, and which will function reliably withoutrequiring any attention other than to change the display panels fromtime to time. While an electric motor has been considered to bepreferable for rotating the device, other types of motors (or evenmanual operation) might be employed. Where an electric motor is used,the source of power may be batteries or house current, as may bedesired.

In general, it will be understood that many of the details described andillustrated may be modified by those skilled in the art withoutnecessarily departing from the spirit and scope of the invention asexpressed in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a display device:

a shallow rectangular cardboard box composed of opposed sections each ofwhich comprises a relatively large main wall and relatively narrowperipheral walls, said sections being telescopically interfitted so thatsaid peripheral walls lie in overlapping relation and define two-plyside and end walls on the box,

a rigid rod extending horizontally across the center of said box withits ends projecting out through the telescoped sections of the opposedside walls thereby constituting means for locking said opposed sections,means for securing said rod to at least one of said side walls, meansfor supporting said rod ends for rotation of the rod on its axis, andmeans for slowly rotating said rod so that the box will rotate and bringits opposite end walls alternately to a relatively raised position,

each main box wall having a display opening, said openings beingsymmetrically arranged with respect to the rod axis,

an odd number (2x+1) of rectangular cardboard display panels within saidbox, each being of a size to fit within one half of the box on one orthe other side of said rod, said panels bearing display indicia on eachof their faces,

the box depth between its main walls being just sufficient toaccommodate (x+1) of said panels in superposed relation, and

the display panels being provided with enlarged smoothly roundedstiifeners along their edges to rigidify the panels and assure freesliding of the panels successively and by gravity from one end region ofthe box to the other as the box rotates, whereby (4x-I-2) differentdisplay faces can be brought successively to view through said displayopenings.

2. A display device as defined in claim 1, in which said display panelsare five in number and said rod is of rounded cross-section tofacilitate the sliding movements over it of the successive panels.

3. A display device as defined in claim 1, in which the end walls of thebox are lined on the interior with cushioning material.

4. A display device as defined in claim 1, in which said rod securingmeans comprises a sleeve encircling the rod, a setscrew in the sleeveadapted separably to engage the rod, and an attachment part carried bythe sleeve and secured to the side wall of the box.

5. A display device as defined in claim 4, in which said sleeve andattachment part are secured only to the outer ply of the side wall ofthe box.

6. A display device as defined in claim 5, in which said sleeve includesa section extendingbeyond the rod and adapted to receive the end of adriving shaft, said sleeve section being provided with a setscrew forseparable engagement with said driving shaft.

7. A diplay device as defined in claim 1, in which said panel stiifenersare elements having a substantially C- shaped cross-section, eachelement being slidably applicable to a panel edge to enclose the edgewithin the confines of the C-shaped element.

8. A device for displaying a plurality of different display panels in acontinuous repetitive sequence, comprising: a pair of shallowtelescoping sections (13, 14) forming a box (10) adapted to contain anodd number of display panels, each of said sections (13, 14) having apair of opposed peripheral walls (16, 18), each of said peripheral walls(16, 18) having aligned holes formed therein, a rigid rod (21) insertedthrough said aligned holes in each of said pairs of telescopedperipheral walls (16, 18) constituting means for locking said sections(13, 14) to each other, means for rotating said rod (21), means (23, 24,and 25) for securing said rod (21) to at least one of said peripheralwalls (18) whereby said box rotates with said rod, said rod (21) alsoconstituting means for facilitating the continual sliding of the displaypanels from one end of the rotating box (10) to the other end of saidbox (10).

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 343,130 6/1886Klemann 4081 2,057,465 10/ 1936 Willens 40-81 X 2,880,866 4/ 1959 VanDyck.

EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner.

W. GRIEB, Assistant Examiner.

1. IN A DISPLAY DEVICE: A SHALLOW RECTANGULAR CARDBOARD BOX COMPOSED OFOPPOSED SECTIONS EACH OF WHICH COMPRISES A RELATIVELY LARGE MAIN WALLAND RELATIVELY NARROW PERIPHERAL WALLS, SAID SECTIONS BEINGTELESCOPICALLY INTERFITTED SO THAT SAID PERIPHERAL WALLS LIE INOVERLAPPING RELATION AND DEFINE TWO-PLY SIDE AND END WALLS ON THE BOX, ARIGID ROD EXTENDING HORIZONTALLY ACROSS THE CENTER OF SAID BOX WITH ITSENDS PROJECTING OUT THROUGH THE TELESCOPED SECTIONS OF THE OPPOSED SIDEWALLS THEREBY CONSTITUTING MEANS FOR LOCKING SAID OPPOSED SECTIONS,MEANS FOR SECURING SAID ROD TO AT LEAST ONE OF SAID SIDE WALLS, MEANSFOR SUPPORTING SAID ROD ENDS FOR ROTATION OF THE ROD ON ITS AXIS, ANDMEANS FOR SLOWLY ROTATING SAID ROD SO THAT THE BOX WILL ROTATE AND BEINGITS OPPOSITE END WALLS ALTERNATELY TO A RELATIVELY RAISED POSITION, EACHMAIN BOX WALL HAVING A DISPLAY OPENING, SAID OPENINGS BEINGSYMMETRICALLY ARRANGED WITH RESPECT TO THE ROD AXIS, AN ODD NUMBER(2X+1) OF RECTANGULAR CARDBOARD DISPLAY PANELS WITHIN SAID BOX, EACHBEING OF A SIZE TO FIT WITHIN ONE HALF OF THE BOX ON ONE OR THE OTHERSIDE OF SAID ROD, SAID PANELS BEARING DISPLAY INDICIA ON EACH OF THEIRFACES, THE BOX DEPTH BETWEEN ITS MAIN WALLS BEING JUST SUFFICIENT TOACCOMMODATE (X+1) OF SAID PANELS IN SUPERPOSED RELATION, AND THE DISPLAYPANELS BEING PROVIDED WITH ENLARGED SMOOTHLY ROUNDED STIFFENERS ALONGTHEIR EDGES TO RIGIDIFY THE PANELS AND ASSURE FREE SLIDING OF THE PANELSSUCCESSIVELY AND BY GRAVITY FROM ONE END REGION OF THE BOX TO THE OTHERAS THE BOX ROTATES, WHEREBY (4X+2) DIFFERENT DISPLAY FACES CAN BEBROUGHT SUCCESSIVELY TO VIEW THROUGH SAID DISPLAY OPENINGS.